The Whitman Bibliography
This edition of the WHITMAN BIBLIOGRAPHY is limited to five hundrednumbered copies, of which this is No. 288
THE BIBLIOGRAPHY
OF WALT WHITMAN
BY FRANK SHAY
New York
FRIEDMANS'
1920
Copyright, 1920, by Friedmans'.
To the memory of
HORACE TRAUBEL
1856-1919
Poet, Philosopher, Comrade
FOREWORD
"Camerado, this is no book;
Who touches this touches a man."
Walt Whitman's relation to his work was more personal than that of mostpoets. He was, in a larger sense, a man of one book, and this book,issued and reissued at various periods of the poet's life, was, at eachissuance, the latest expression of his development. The infinite care hegave to his work; the continual study of each poem resulted in changesin each edition. The book literally grew with the man and in the presentauthorized edition of today we have his final and complete utterance.
Whitman's early fugitive work presents to the student a curious anomaly.It gives no intimation of the great nature that later produced Leaves ofGrass and Democratic Vistas. In quality it was beneath the standards ofthe nickle-dreadfuls of yesterday. Bearing such titles as "One Wicked[Pg 8]Impulse"; "Revenge and Requital, Tale of a Murderer Escaped"; "TheAngel of Tears"; (many of them are in the Prose Works) they appealed toa class to whom thought was anathema and reading solely a pastime. Theyare didactic to the extreme, presenting the horrible results of sin andthe corresponding rewards of virtue. Their value as literature, however,does not come within the province of the bibliographer.
The care Whitman bestowed upon his writings was carried to themechanical production of his books. Each edition was manufactured underhis supervision and when completed represented the latest and highestachievements in commercial bookmaking. Further, he took such an intensepersonal interest in the sale of his books that he invariably knew atall times the number of copies sold and the number on hand.
The first edition comprised three distinct variations. The first ofthese, in paper wrappers, are undoubtedly the result of Whitman'simpatience at the delays of the binder. Considering that he had a pressat his disposal, it is not assuming too much to suggest that whileawaiting deliveries from the binder he printed the jackets himself for[Pg 9]immediate use. This is the only way to account for the existence of thepaper copies. Further proof that this contention is correct is that eachcopy bears an inscription in Whitman's holograph.
Though Whitman insisted that "the entire edition sold readily" there islittle doubt he meant circulated. In fact, they were circulated sorapidly a new edition was required within ten months. This secondedition was a dumpy sexto-decimo of nearly four hundred pages. Twentynew poems were added, one of the earlier poems was dropped and all wereretouched. This edition did sell rapidly and only fear of publiccriticism prevented the publishers from reissuing the book. The failureto find a firm to stand sponsor for his book discouraged Whitman to theextent of planning to go West and pioneer. His plans for t